Rootstocks

5. Rootstocks
Introduction --------------------------------------------------------------- 2
Rootstocks and their main characteristics ------------------------ 3
Lemon variety rootstock compatability chart --------------------- 5
Rootstock characteristics table--------------------------------------- 6
Roostock fact sheets Benton citrange ................................................................................. 7
C-35 citrange .................................................................................... 8
Cleopatra mandarin .......................................................................... 9
Poncirus trifoliata ............................................................................. 11
Rough lemon ................................................................................... 13
Swingle citrumelo ............................................................................ 15
Troyer/carrizo citrange ..................................................................... 17

Severe overgrowth of Verna on

Fraser rootstock

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Rootstocks

INTRODUCTION
All commercial lemon varieties in Australia are budded onto selected
rootstocks. The decision about which rootstock to use has important long-term
effects on the potential life and profitability of plantings. Some scion rootstock
combinations are incompatible. With lemons the most well known is the
incompatibility of Eureka lemon on Poncirus trifoliata, Troyer and Carrizo
citranges and Swingle citrumelo. No single rootstock is suitable for all sites or
for all varieties. As a result, take great care in selecting the best rootstock for
the soil, growing conditions and the markets being targeted.
The ideal rootstock is likely to vary with the soil type, depth and previous land
use. The variety and clone of lemons to be grown is sometimes also an
important factor. Rootstock can effect both time of harvest and fruit quality,
and both of these factors can have a big effect on dollar returns. Rootstock can
have a large effect on many aspects of production including yield, fruit quality,
tree size, tolerance to salts and diseases, and scion compatibility. The general
tolerance and fruit quality effects of various citrus rootstocks (although not
specifically detailed for lemons) is detailed in Tables 1, 2 and 3.
General rootstock information sheets are contained at the end of this section.
Table 1: The relative tolerance of citrus rootstocks to nematodes and diseases
Rootstock

Phytophthora
tolerance

P. trifoliata
Swingle citrumelo
Troyer citrange
Carrizo citrange
Benton citrange
Cleopatra mandarin
Rough lemon
Sweet orange

1
2
2
2
2
3
4
5

Tristeza
tolerance

Exocortis
tolerance

1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2

5
2
4
4
4?
1
1
1

Citrus
nematode
1
1
3
3
3?
4
4
4

Key: 1 = best of rootstocks listed; 5 = worst of rootstocks listed; ? = uncertain.

Table 2: The relative tolerance of citrus rootstocks to salinity and soil types
Rootstock
P. trifoliata
Carrizo citrange
Troyer citrange
Benton citrange
Swingle citrumelo
Rough lemon
Sweet orange
Cleopatra mandarin

Salinity
5
3
3
4
2
4
3
1

Calcium
(Alkalinity) Sandy
5
2
4
2
4
2
4
2
4
2
3
1
2
2
1
3

Soils
Loam Poorly drained
2
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
3
5
1
4
2
3

Key: 1 = best of rootstocks listed; 5 = worst of rootstocks listed

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Rootstocks

Table 3: General effects of citrus rootstocks on fruit quality

Quality
Troyer/Carrizo Rough
Characteristic citranges
lemon

Sweet
orange

Cleopatra
mandarin

Swingle
citrumelo

P. trifoliata

Fruit Size
Rind Thickness
Rind Texture
Fruit Maturity
Total Soluble
Solids (TSS)
Acid Content
Juice Content

medium
thin
smooth
mid

Large
Thick
Coarse
Early

medium
medium
medium
mid

small-med
thin
medium
mid

med-large
thin
smooth
mid-late

med-large
thin
smooth
mid-late

high

Low

medium

medium

high

high

medium-high
high

Low
Low-med

medium
medium

medium
med-high

medium
high

high
high

Rootstocks and their main characteristics

Benton citrange. Benton citrange was released to industry in 1985 and
commercial plantings using this rootstock have gradually increased since the
early 1990s. It has performed well in replant soils and is the only citrange
selection which can be used under Eureka lemon without inducing severe
incompatibility. The research at Renmark showed that it is also very successful
in virgin soils.
Citrus volkameriana. C. volkameriana is being used as an alternative
rootstock for lemons and has similar characteristics to Rough lemon. Trees are
large and vigorous with lower yields than Rough lemon and with generally
poor fruit quality characteristics. It has some resistance to Phytophthora root
rot being slightly better than Rough lemon.
Cleopatra mandarin. Cleopatra tends to produce most of its roots near the soil
surface and could be considered for shallow soil situations (on mounded rows),
especially if the subsoil is high in free lime (calcium carbonate).
Cox mandarin hybrid (3798). Cox is a Scarlet mandarin x P. trifoliata hybrid
bred by NSW Agriculture and released commercially in 1995. It is resistant to
Phytophthora root and collar rots and has shown promise in screening trials as
a rootstock for Eureka lemon with no signs of the bud union incompatibility.
Cox has relatively seedy fruit and produces uniform, moderately vigorous
seedlings in the nursery. This variety is now being used commercially.
Fraser Seville hybrid (4017) is a Smooth Seville x P. trifoliata hybrid bred by
NSW Agriculture and released commercially in 1995. It is resistant to
Phytophthora root and collar rot. It was recently assessed as a rootstock for
Fino, Verna and Eureka at two Australian sites and shows little promise as a
commercial rootstock for lemons.
Nelspruit hybrid 639 is a Cleopatra mandarin x P. trifoliata hybrid bred in
South Africa. It has performed well as a rootstock for Eureka lemon at the
Gosford trial site producing fruit with a higher percentage of juice and citric
acid than that grown on Rough lemon rootstock. Nelspruit hybrid has shown
moderate susceptibility to Phytophthora and hence its use would be better
confined to virgin, well-drained sites.
Poncirus trifoliata. It is incompatible with Eureka lemon. This is not a
preferred rootstock for South Australian growing conditions because of its low
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Rootstocks

tolerance to soils high in lime and to saline irrigation water. If used, for
example in clay soils near Renmark for the growing of Lisbon lemons, it would
produce high quality fruit.
Rough lemon. Rough lemon is a very good rootstock for producing large
healthy trees, however, it tends to produce fruit rough in texture and lower in
juice. These negative effects could be at least partly countered by adjusting
nutrition programs but rough lemon also tends to produce larger fruit with
thicker skins. Trees are more prone to damage from root diseases, nematodes
and water logging. Mature fruit can be stored, on tree for less time, compared
with other rootstocks.
Rough lemon is best suited to virgin soils and should not be used in replant
soils. In replant soils Benton citrange, Cox mandarin hybrid or Troyer citrange
(incompatible with Eureka lemon) should be considered.
Sweet orange. This is an excellent rootstock for soils that have not previously
been cropped with citrus. If soils have adequate depth and are free draining,
sweet orange enhances yield and fruit quality, and on tree storage of fruit.
Because of its susceptibility to root rots and nematodes, it is not recommended
for replant situations.
Swingle citrumelo. This rootstock is relatively new in Australia. It has
performed very well under grapefruit, well under oranges when they are not
grown on poor or highly calcareous soils but there is not much known about its
performance under lemons. It is incompatible with Eureka lemon. Although
Swingle produces very well in many soil types, it is reported that it performs
poorly in soils high in lime. It is superior to the citranges in its tolerance to
water logging and nematodes and similar in its tolerance to root rots and soils
high in lime.
Troyer and Carrizo citranges. These rootstocks cannot be used with Eureka
lemon due to incompatibility problems. When using Lisbon or other varieties
there are small but significant differences in performance between these two
rootstocks. Both are suited to replant soils where calcium (free lime) levels are
not high and both have good tolerance to nematodes, Phytophthora and other
replant diseases. They are inferior to Rough lemon and C. volkameriana for
translocation of soil water from the roots to the leaves and fruit. Citrange
rootstocks tend to produce smaller fruit.
Key References
Barkley, P. National Citrus Nursery Workshop Proceedings, Mildura,
Australia, 19-20 June 2002.
Castle, W. S., Tucker, D. P. H., Krezdorn, A. H. and Youtsey C. O. Rootstocks
for Florida Citrus. 1993.
Ballasch, P. T., and Staniford, M. Citrus Varieties and Rootstocks for the
Riverland. 2003.
Forsyth, J. B. and Barkley, P. Citrus Rootstocks Agfact H2.2.2. NSW
Agriculture. 1989.

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Rootstocks

Lemon Variety Rootstock Compatability Chart

Rootstock

Eureka

Fino

Lisbon

Meyer

Verna

Yen
B en

Benton citrange

3?

3*

Carrizo citrange

3?

3?

Nelspruit hybrid
639

3**

Cox mandarin
hybrid (3798)

Fraser seville
hybrid (4017)

3*

P. trifoliata

Rough lemon

Sour orange

3?

Swingle citrumelo

Sweet orange

Troyer citrange

3?

3?

C. volkam eriana

3*

Schaub Rough
lemon

3*

3?

3*

C35 citrange

3*

Some overgrowth of the bud union observed (at the three Australian trial
sites) - longterm compatability unknown at this stage.
3 Compatible
2
Incompatible
3** Overgrowth in New Zealand trials
3? Longterm compatibility in Australia unknown
?
Compatibility unknown under Australian conditions

Photo by April Winchel

Severe rootstock suckering can

be a sign of incompatibility

Photo by April Winchel

An example of incompatibility overgrowth of the scion

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Highly resistant to Phytophthora, tristeza and citrus nematode. Exocortis and tatter leaf free budwood. Will grow on
Cold hardy. Intolerant of exocortis. Shallow depth of rooting
wide range of soils, but prefers loams. Intolerant of
but develops high fibrous root density. Tree size small to
highly acid and lime soils. Poor drought tolerance.
medium. Generally highly fruitful. Fruit quality very good.

P. trifoliata

Growing Lemons in Australia - a production manual

Resistant to Phytophthora, cold hardy. Tristeza tolerant;

infection by exocortis results in reduced tree size, but no butt
scaling. Mycorrhizal dependent. Intermediate depth of
rooting; main lateral and fibrous root development may be
poor in young trees. Medium to large trees, usually very
productive with good fruit quality

Troyer and Carrizo citrange

Exocortis-free budwood. Adapted to wide range of

soil types, except highly calcareous soils.

Not suited to clay or highly calcareous soils

Source: ''Know your Rootstocks'' K. Bevington, NSW Agriculture, Dareton.

Phytophthora and drought tolerant; nematode resistant;

tristeza tolerant. More salt tolerant than other P. trifoliata
hybrids. Good fruit quality.

Swingle citrumelo

Very susceptible to Phytophthora root and collar rots;

Best on deep sandy soils. Sensitive to dry
susceptible to citrus nematode. Tristeza and exocortis
conditions but tolerates calcareous soils.
tolerant. Mycorrhizal dependent. Intermediate depth of rooting.
On well-drained soils in inland areas produces large trees.
High yielding with good fruit quality.

Sweet orange

Best on deep virgin sandy soils.

Susceptible to Phytophthora root and collar rots, citrus

nematode. Tristeza and exocortis tolerant. Mycorrhizal
dependent. Extensive lateral and vertical root development.
Highly drought tolerant. Produces large trees. Yields are
high, of good fruit size, but poor quality. Promotes early
maturity.

Rough lemon (citronelle)

Incompatible with Eureka lemon. Very prone to

micronutrient deficiencies, especially on calcareous
soils. Compatibility with some minor varieties
unknown. Prone to sudden death.

Has tolerance to water logging. Incompatible with

Eureka lemon and some orange and mandarin
cultivars. Overgrows orange varieties. Fruit more
prone to creasing than Rough lemon.

Does not tolerate excessive soil moisture.

Does not tolerate poorly drained soils. Tendency to

accumulate excessive chloride leading to leaf drop.
Unsuitable for some mandarins eg. Satsuma and
Ellendale tangor.

Incompatible with Eureka lemon and acidless

oranges. Compatibility with some minor varieties
unknown. Despite accumulating high levels of
chloride in leaf tissue does not exhibit obvious
toxicity symptoms until leaves drop. Prone to sudden
death.

Tendency to small fruit size. Good drainage and

precautions against root rot essential. Slow to come
into bearing.

Performs well on both heavy and light soils; best

suited to loams. Lime and salinity tolerant.

Moderately susceptible to Phytophthora root and collar rots.

Tristeza and exocortis tolerant. Susceptible to citrus
nematode. Intermediate depth of rooting; intensive fibrous
root development. Slow growing in nursery, mature trees
large. Early production poor, satisfactory in mature trees.
Good fruit quality but small fruit size with some cultivars.

Cleopatra mandarin

Tolerance to nematodes unknown.

Major risk factors

Not suitable for calcareous soils.

Resistant to Phytophthora root and collar rots. Compatible

with Eureka lemon. With Eureka produces trees of
intermediate size and good cropping efficiency.
Exocortis-free budwood.

Benton citrange

Requirements

Characteristics

Stock

Rootstock Characteristics Table

Rootstocks

56

Rootstocks

Benton citrange
Origin
In 1945, a citrus rootstock breeding programme was initiated by Dr. F T
Bowman of NSW Agriculture, in an attempt to obtain rootstocks compatible
with Eureka lemon that were also Phytophthora resistant and tolerant of citrus
tristeza virus. From this programme, the Benton citrange, a hybrid of Ruby
Blood sweet orange and P. trifoliata, was selected and has performed well as a
rootstock for Eureka lemon in a number of replicated trials at Somersby
(Freeman et al., 1986; Sarooshi and Broadbent, 1992) and at Yanco (Long et
al.,).
Seed was first released to the industry in 1984. There are some commercial
plantings using this rootstock which have been established since 1990, but poor
seed production in the seed source trees has been an impediment to its
widespread usage.
Pest and disease
The major attributes of Benton citrange are its Phytophthora and tristeza
tolerance and its compatibility with Eureka lemon.
Field performance
With Eureka lemon it produces trees of an intermediate size with good
cropping efficiency. Being relatively compact they are more manageable than
trees on the more vigorous Rough lemon.
Nursery performance
It is not a vigorous nursery stock. It is a frustrating nursery plant because
seedlings are bushy and difficult to bud. In Florida some nurserymen have
grown seedlings to liner size then cut them back severely to induce a single
vigorous shoot from the base that then becomes the stem which is budded.
Once budded the tree grows normally in the nursery.
Overseas experience
Benton citrange has been tried as a rootstock for Eureka lemon in California
and was introduced as seed from Australia and included in a broad range of
field trials in Florida beginning in 1986.
References
Burns, R M, Sakovich, N J, and Carpenter, J B. (1986). Test with Eureka,
Lisbons on new citrange rootstocks. Citrograph 72, pp 24-25, 27.
Freeman, B., Broadbent, P. and Nicholls, P. (1986). Evaluation of rootstocks
for five lemon scions in replant ground. Aust. J. Exp. Agric. 26, 751-759.
Sarooshi, R A. and Broadbent, P. (1992). Evaluation of rootstocks for Eureka
and Lisbon lemons in replant ground in New South Wales. Aust. J. Exp.
Agric. 32, 205-209.For application to specific circumstances, professional
advice should be sought.

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Rootstocks

C-35 citrange
Origin
C-35 was bred by the University of California and released in 1987. It is a
hybrid of Ruby Blood orange and P. trifoliata.
Tolerance to environmental and soil conditions
C35 has better tolerance to low iron stress1 (high pH soils with high levels of
available calcium) than Swingle citrumelo and trifoliate orange. Suitable for
replant sites.
Pest and disease
Tolerant to tristeza virus and less susceptible to Phytophthora root rot than
Troyer citrange2. Tolerant to the citrus nematode (Tylenchulus semipenetrans).
Budwood for propagation on this stock should be obtained from Auscitrus to
ensure freedom from citrus exocortis viroid (CEV) and other viroids, which
cause dwarfing and tree decline and from citrus tatter leaf virus to which
trifoliate orange hybrids are sensitive resulting in a yellow ring at the budunion.
Nursery performance
Percent nucellar seedlings may be lower than for Troyer citrange.
Fruit quality
Fruit quality is excellent
Scion compatibility
C 35 is incompatible with Yen Ben lemon3, which died after 5 years in a trial at
Kerikeri, New Zealand.
Overseas experience
This rootstock was bred in California, and within 10 years of its release, it is
being used widely on navels especially in the San Joaquin Valley.. This is
mainly because of its excellent yield efficiency i.e. for each cubic metre of
canopy volume, it produces more kilograms of fruit than other rootstocks.
In the HortResearch (New Zealand) trial, C-35 has produced high yielding trees
with good fruit size and internal quality. Trees on C-35 are more vigorous than
those on P. trifoliata, but in a similar trial where satsuma mandarin is the scion
variety, the vigour of C-35 has slowed down as the trees began bearing heavy
crops.
References
1 Castle, W. S. and Manthey, J. A. 1998. Screening citrus rootstocks for irondeficiency tolerance. Fruits 53: 375-381.
2 Cameron, J. W. and Soost R. K. 1986. C35 and C32: Citrange rootstocks
for citrus. HortScience 21 (1): 157-158.
3 Currie, A., Sutton, P. Machin, T. and Anderson, P. 2002. Yen Ben Lemon
Rootstock Trial. The Orchardist. June 2002. pp. 50-51.

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Rootstocks

Cleopatra mandarin
Origin
Cleopatra mandarin originated in India and
was introduced into Florida from Jamaica
in the mid 19th Century. Cleopatra
mandarin has been widely distributed and
trialled as a rootstock throughout the
world. It is used in Florida, Spain and
Australia for shallow alkaline soils.
Tolerance to environmental and soil
conditions
Trees on Cleopatra mandarin are tolerant
of shallow alkaline soils due to a relatively
shallow root system. Cleopatra mandarin is
sensitive to waterlogging and performs
best in well drained soils. Cleopatra has
good salinity tolerance due to its ability to
exclude chloride.
Pest and disease
Cleopatra mandarin is highly sensitive to Phytophthora and should only be
used for plantings where citrus has not been planted previously. Trees on
Cleopatra mandarin are also sensitive to citrus nematodes. It is tolerant of citrus
tristeza virus and exocortis.
Field performance
Cleopatra mandarin produces large trees that are characterised by low early
cropping. Trees are long lived and produce consistent crops of high quality fruit
between 10-30 years of age.
Nursery performance
Cleopatra mandarin is a slow growing rootstock in the nursery and is difficult
to propagate. Budded trees have a tendency to remain dormant and fail to shoot.
Sensitivity to Phytophthora and citrus nematodes requires a high level of
nursery hygiene.
Fruit quality
Fruit from trees on Cleopatra mandarin are of high quality but maturity is
generally later than fruit grown on Troyer and Carrizo citranges. Trees on
Cleopatra tend to produce small fruit. Cleopatra mandarin is been used to
extend the harvest period for Imperial mandarin in Queensland due to its late
maturity.
Scion compatibility
Cleopatra mandarin is highly compatible with mandarin varieties. It is
compatible with Imperial mandarin and does not show any overgrowth or
cincturing at the bud union, providing an alternative to Poncirus trifoliata and
the citranges.
Extent of plantings
Cleopatra mandarin is a minor rootstock in Australia accounting for less than
5% of total citrus plantings. It is used mainly for Imperial mandarins in
Queensland and some navel oranges in shallow alkaline soils in southern
Australia.
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Rootstocks

Overseas experience
Cleopatra mandarin has been an important rootstock in Spain for growing
mandarins in shallow alkaline soils, but its popularity has declined in favour of
Carrizo citrange. Cleopatra mandarin is the major rootstock used for mandarins
in Florida. It is also a minor rootstock for oranges and grapefruit in Florida, but
its popularitye is declining due to poor disease tolerance in replant sites and
susceptibility to citrus blight.

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Rootstocks

Poncirus trifoliata
Origin
The trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata)
has grown in China for thousands of years
and in Japan since the 8th Century. It was
introduced into Australia in the latter part
of the 19th Century, but because of the
restricted growth of many trees
propagated on this stock, it became
unpopular. Trifoliate orange became the
preferred rootstock for heavy soils after
research indentified transmission of
viroids, in particular citrus exocortis
viroid, via infected budwood as the cause
of the dwarfing and decline problem.
Many selections of P. trifoliata have been
made and named. The one in common use in Australia is a small leaf, small
flowered selection known as the Australian selection or P. trifoliata 22.
A dwarfing selection known as Flying Dragon is sometimes used as a stock
for the retail trade.
Tolerance to environmental and soil conditions
Poncirus trifoliata is most suitable for lime-free soils and can withstand cold
and wet conditions. However impeded drainage can result in Sudden death of
trees on this stock. Trees on P. trifoliata grow well on fertile clays to loams but
are intolerant of highly acid or highly alkaline soils. They also react to saline
conditions, and trees on P. trifoliata readily take up chloride through the leaves,
a problem most often observed in trees watered by overhead irrigation. It is one
of the preferred rootstocks for replant sites. Poncirus trifoliata does not
develop a very deep or wide root system, but feeder roots are highly fibrous. It
has poor drought tolerance.
Pest and disease
Poncirus trifoliata is highly resistant to Phytophthora root and collar rots and
citrus nematode. It is immune to citrus tristeza virus. Budwood for propagation
on this stock should be obtained from Auscitrus to ensure freedom from citrus
exocortis viroid (CEV) and other viroids, which cause dwarfing, and from
citrus tatter leaf virus to which trifoliate orange is sensitive resulting in a
yellow ring at the bud-union. This rootstock is responsive to viroid dwarfing
and is recommended as a stock for viroid dwarfing of oranges.
Field performance
Poncirus trifoliata is generally a good rootstock for oranges, satisfactory for
grapefruit (although small fruit size is sometimes reported), most mandarins
and lemons with the exception of Eureka lemon. A major drawback in the use
of P. trifoliata is the slow initial establishment of new plantings. Cropping
efficiency is good. Trees propagated on P. trifoliata are suitable for planting at
high density. Field performance in tropical and sub-tropical regions is generally
poor.
Nursery performance
P. trifoliata is the slowest growing of all commercial rootstocks. Nursery trees
on P. trifoliata take 6-12 months longer to grow compared with Troyer and
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Rootstocks

Carrizo citranges. It is the most difficult of the commonly used rootstocks to

propagate. Early spring and late autumn propagation of P. trifoliata are difficult
due to extended winter dormancy. Small flowered selections are less vigorous
than large flowered types and are more bushy.
Fruit quality
Fruit quality is excellent, with high total soluble solids and acid content and a
smooth thin peel. Fruit size is medium and maturity mid to late. Juice content is
high. Trees propagated on P. trifoliata produce fruit with high early season
acidity but show excellent late holding characteristics.
Scion compatibility
Incompatible with Eureka lemon, a yellow ring incompatibility develops at the
bud union. Cincturing at the bud-union is often a problem with Imperial
mandarin, which can be overcome by use of a sweet orange interstock.
Extent of plantings
P. trifoliata is the most commonly used rootstock for the heavier soils of the
Riverina and Curlwaa regions in New South Wales. Sales of P. trifoliata seed
through Auscitrus are consistently higher than for other stocks, although less
than the cumulative figure for Troyer and Carrizo citranges.
Overseas experience
P. trifoliata is the predominant rootstock in China, Japan and Argentina. It is
also used in the Central Valley of California in heavy soil areas.

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Rootstocks

Rough Lemon
Origin
Rough lemon originated in the Himalayan
foothills in India and has been used as a
rootstock for citrus in Australia for more
than one hundred years. It was most
widely used in Australia in the first half of
the 20th Century. A wide range of Rough
lemon selections exist and the most
commonly used selection in Australia is
the McKillop selection
Tolerance to environmental and soil
conditions
Trees on Rough lemon are highly drought
tolerant. Production of an extensive root
system enables trees on Rough lemon to
forage effectively for soil nutrients. Rough
lemon also has some tolerance to alkaline soils and moderate tolerance to
salinity. Rough lemon is suitable for sandy, well drained soils.
Pest and disease
Rough lemon is highly sensitive to Phytophthora and should only be used for
plantings where citrus has not been planted previously. Trees on Rough lemon
are also sensitive to citrus nematodes. Tolerant of citrus tristeza virus and
exocortis. Rough lemon rootstocks are highly susceptible to lemon scab under
high rainfall coastal conditions. Infected nursery trees on Rough lemon may be
a source for transmission of lemon scab to existing plantings.
Field performance
Rough lemon is a highly vigorous rootstock and shows good yield performance
in early years. Rough lemon produces large trees with a large well developed
root system. Trees older than fifteen years often suffer from alternate bearing
and declining yields. Trees on Rough lemon often decline rapidly after twenty
years due to poor tree health.
Nursery performance
Rough lemon is the quickest growing of all common rootstocks. It is also the
easiest rootstock to propagate and has the longest propagation season. Due to
their high vigour, nursery trees on Rough lemon have a high nutritional
requirement. Nursery stocks are susceptible to citrus leafminer damage.
Fruit quality
Trees on Rough lemon produce fruit with poor internal quality due to low
soluble solids and acid content. Rough lemon produces the earliest fruit
maturity of all common rootstocks due to the low fruit acidity. Juice content is
also low and fruit from trees on Rough lemon often have a thick, coarse
textured rind.
Scion compatibility
Highly compatible with lemon varieties, Rough lemon also has good
compatibility with oranges, grapefruit, tangelos and most mandarin varieties.
Incompatible with Ellendale mandarin. May be incompatible with Satsuma
mandarins.
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Rootstocks

Extent of plantings
The majority of citrus trees planted on Rough lemon are located in the
Riverland of South Australia and are mainly orange trees greater than thirty
years old. Until the late 1990s, most Eureka lemons in Australia were grown on
Rough lemon rootstock. Rough lemon has declined in popularity over the last
thirty years with the introduction of Troyer, Carrizo and Benton citranges and
Swingle citrumelo.
Overseas experience
Rough lemon was widely used in Florida to produce high yields of fruit for
processing, but its use has declined in recent years due to sensitivity to citrus
blight. Rough lemon is still a popular rootstock choice for lemon growing in
Arizona. It was also widely used in South Africa, but has recently been
overtaken by Swingle citrumelo and Citrus volkameriana in popularity.

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Rootstocks

Swingle citrumelo
Origin
A hybrid of Duncan grapefruit and
Poncirus trifoliata produced in 1907 in
Florida and released by the United States
Department of Agriculture in 1974. A
number of introductions of Swingle
citrumelo have been made into Australia,
where it is a relatively new rootstock that
has rapidly increased in popularity.
Tolerance to environmental and soil
conditions
Swingle citrumelo is sensitive to high
chloride levels in soil and irrigation water
but is more salt tolerant than other
trifoliate hybrids such as Carrizo and
Troyer citranges. Swingle is sensitive to high pH soils and is unsuitable for
highly calcareous soils. Trees on Swingle show chlorosis problems on highly
calcareous soils. Soils with a clay content greater than 25-30% may restrict root
growth. Swingle is unsuitable for heavy clay soils that are over-watered.
Swingle has moderate drought tolerance and is highly cold tolerant.
Pest and disease
Swingle citrumelo has some resistance to Phytophthora root and collar rots but
is less resistant than Poncirus trifoliata. Tolerant of citrus nematode. Trees
have good tolerance to citrus tristeza virus (CTV). Trees propagated on
Swingle citrumelo are susceptible to exocortis (scalybutt). Budwood for
propagation should be obtained from Auscitrus to ensure freedom from citrus
exocortis viroid (CEV).
Field performance
Phytophthora and nematode tolerance of Swingle citrumelo makes it suitable
for replant sites. Trees grown on Swingle are vigorous, large and produce
intermediate to high yields depending on cultivar. High early yields with navel
oranges have been reported in southern Australia. Under Queensland growing
conditions Washington navel trees on Swingle had 50% less yield than trees on
Troyer citrange. Ability to hold fruit on the tree is good. Other anecdotal
evidence suggests less albedo breakdown of Navelina on Swingle citrumelo
compared to Troyer and Carrizo citranges.
Nursery performance
Vigorous nursery stock that is highly nucellar. Seedlings require slightly higher
rate of culling than Troyer and Carrizo citranges.
Fruit quality
The predominant experience with Swingle citrumelo in southern Australia has
been with navel oranges in replant sites over the last ten years. Navel trees on
Swingle have produced medium to large sized fruit with a smooth, thin rind.
Washington navel fruit grown on Swingle in Queensland are of poor quality.
Swingle rootstock produces fruit with high juice and soluble solids content and
mid-range acidity. Fruit matures mid-late season and rind colour development
of navel oranges on Swingle is delayed. Swingle may not be a good choice for
early season navel oranges due to its late maturing characteristics.
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Rootstocks

Scion compatibility
Swingle citrumelo is a superior rootstock for grapefruit producing high yields
of large, excellent quality fruit with high juice content. There is some anecdotal
evidence in southern Australia of a yellow ring at the bud union with some
navel orange scions. Swingle has a tendency to overgrow most orange scion
cultivars. Valencia yields on Swingle are moderate. Swingle is incompatible
with Eureka lemon and is not recommended for Imperial mandarin due to
cincturing and overgrowth at the bud union. It is incompatible with Meyer
lemon. Swingle has been used as a rootstock for Murcott tangor in Queensland.
Little else is known of Swingle as a rootstock for mandarins.
Extent of plantings
Swingle citrumelo has rapidly increased in popularity over the last ten years in
Australia and now accounts for ten percent of Auscitrus rootstock seed sales.
Only Troyer citrange, Carrizo citrange and Poncirus trifoliata are currently
more popular than Swingle citrumelo. Demand for Swingle seed is expected to
increase over the next ten years.
Overseas experience
Orange trees on Swingle in Florida have declined as early as 6 years of age in
soils with restrictive layers that limit vertical root development and lead to
perched water tables. Experience in Spain indicates that Swingle has good
tolerance to soil waterlogging. Minneola tangelo is reported to produce good
fruit quality on Swingle citrumelo in Florida. Around fifty percent of all trees
propagated in Florida are on Swingle citrumelo.

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Rootstocks

Troyer/Carrizo citrange
Origin
Troyer and Carrizo citranges are hybrids of
Washington navel orange and Poncirus
trifoliata. The original crosses were made
in the early 1900s by the United States
Department of Agriculture with the
intention of producing cold tolerant scion
varieties. They were later identified as
being suitable for use as rootstocks.
Commercial use of these rootstocks began
in Australia in the 1960s. They are
visually indistinguishable and under
Australian conditions there is little
difference in the performance of trees on
either rootstock. They are general purpose
rootstocks and are widely used for most
commercial varieties in Australia with the exception of Eureka lemon.
Tolerance to environmental and soil conditions
Intolerant of high pH soils with high levels of available calcium and also
intolerant of saline conditions. Trees on these stocks frequently show
micronutrient deficiencies (zinc, iron, manganese) especially in the spring
flush. Suitable for replant sites. Moderately cold tolerant. Best results with
Troyer/Carrizo citrange are achieved in well drained soils. Both rootstocks are
unsuitable for heavy clay soils.
Pest and disease
Troyer and Carrizo citranges are tolerant of tristeza virus and Phytophthora
root rot but are less tolerant than Poncirus trifoliata. They are also tolerant to
citrus nematodes, but this varies with the nematode biotype. Both stocks are
responsive to viroid dwarfing. The citranges are prone to sudden death in soils
with impeded drainage.
Field performance
Main lateral and fibrous root development may be poor in young trees. Mature
trees are medium to large. Young trees on these stocks are vigorous and
produce good crops of high quality fruits in their early years. Crop regulation
should be considered an essential management requirement for mandarin
cultivars grown on these rootstocks. Trees in the Murray Valley older than
twenty years often show a tendency to produce smaller fruit.
Nursery performance
Troyer and Carrizo citrange are highly nucellar and produce uniform, vigorous,
upright stocks that are easy to manage in the nursery. Most varieties are easy to
propagate on both rootstocks with the exception of Imperial mandarin, where
poor bud take is sometimes encountered. Nursery trees are faster growing than
Poncirus trifoliata but slower than Rough lemon.
Fruit quality
Fruit quality is excellent, but there is a tendency for increased albedo
breakdown in older trees. Fruit size is medium, with a thin, smooth rind. Juice
and sugar content are high and acidity levels are medium to high. Fruit maturity
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Rootstocks

is earlier than Poncirus trifoliata, Swingle citrumelo and Cleopatra mandarin

but later than Rough lemon.
Scion compatibility
Fully compatible with navel and Valencia orange varieties. These rootstocks are
incompatible with Eureka lemon, forming a yellow ring at the bud-union.
The decline of Imperial mandarin trees on citrange stocks, which is related to
excessive rootstock overgrowth at the bud union causing a cincturing effect,
may be triggered by excessive early cropping and poor management of young
trees.
Extent of plantings
Combined sales of Troyer and Carrizo citrange have increased rapidly over the
last ten years and now account for more than 40% of total rootstock seed sales
in Australia. In Queensland, Troyer citrange is the major rootstock used for
mandarins. The citranges are the most widely used general purpose rootstocks
in the Murray Valley.
Overseas experience
Troyer is widely used in California, while Carrizo has been a leading rootstock
in Florida. Whereas Troyer was more popular than Carrizo in Spain and South
Africa, the reverse is now the case. In Israel most mandarin hybrids are
propagated on Troyer citrange.

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